Star Land Nav Course

Land Navigation Refresher – Helpful Tips When Navigating

“…We are what we repeatedly do, Excellence then is not an act but a habit”

Aristotle

One of the first questions we always get here at SpecialOperations.com or over at NEWSREP (our parent site), from any aspiring SOF candidates is, “What do I have to do to get Selected?” While it is a legitimate question, it is a bit simplistic. There is no one specific thing that a candidate has to do to pass but many.

Selection and Assessment for Special Forces haven’t changed all that much since the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) in World War II when General William “Wild Bill” Donovan and his band of glorious amateurs were looking for “PHDs who can win a bar fight.”

While SOF doesn’t require doctoral degrees or any degree for that matter, they are constantly looking for candidates who are smart, trainable and have a good overall balance of knowledge.

As we’ve mentioned many times before, in Selection there are three big discriminators that every candidate must check the block on early in the process if they are going to get selected. Those are being properly prepared for Physical Fitness, Rucking, and Land Navigation.

That’s why we’ve been going back to the basics and hitting on and revisiting all of the topics that generally give candidates the most issues, lately in Land Navigation.

Again, the biggest failure is the failure to prepare. If you are properly prepared, there is no reason you can’t do what thousands of Special Operations Forces troops before you have accomplished. It is more of a mental block than anything else.

So….we’ve gone over some of the A-B-Cs, the basics of Land Navigation and now comes the time to put all of those lessons into practice. I’ve compiled some nice to know notes from back in the day, that are really helpful, especially if you’ve never done Land Nav before.

Invest in a Good Map Case – A good one should be waterproof, seal up tight so that you won’t lose pencils, grease pencils, your protractor …etc. I should also have a neck lanyard or least one that will allow you to attach it to your body, via a snap link. Losing your map in Hoffman is bad, bad, bad news.

Some guys opt for ziplock bag but those can fall out of a shirt or pants pocket and then you’re right back to square one. Some have extra pockets to store other materials as well. Next…

Fold the Map – This sounds so simple but yet you want to fold the map to keep only the area you are traversing in sight. It saves tons of time when checking your map during movement.

Have you ever seen a film where they’re trying to portray a lost person (Ned the Navigator) who has no clue where he is and how he can find his way? If you fold the map down so that only the part of your map that you are using shows, it simplifies things immeasurably. Every time you consult your map, only where you are and where you are going next is visible. It saves a lot of time. And when you’re on the course, a minute here or there can be very valuable. If you’ve ever been around orienteers walking or running on a navigation course with only a small folded map in their hands, The are surveying only the part that matters to them at the moment. Having the route which you are traveling showing with a bit of leeway on either side is a good rule of thumb to follow, speaking of which…

Thumbing – This helps to always know exactly where you are without searching around on the map. However, in Camp Mackall, this may prove difficult at times. And no it isn’t hitching a ride to your next point.

Here’s how thumbing works. When navigating, especially in the Hoffman area, you’ll want …and need to make frequent map checks. Trying to find your location on the map every time you stop can be time-consuming. So the easiest way to keep track is to hold your thumb at the spot on the map where you are. Then as you progress through the course, you can slide your thumb along the route. Using this method consistently eliminates the time it would take to orient the map and then find your way.

Good Ways to Check Your Progress While on the Move:

Plan Checkpoints Along the Route – Checkpoints help to keep you on target. They are also a great way to check your route planning and pace count. If you get to a checkpoint and the going is much tougher than anticipated. You have a place where you can plot and then plan an alternate route.

This is also great reassurance if you happen to be new at this and are unsure of yourself. Trust me, in Hoffman, you will be…

If your route planning takes you by an improved crossroad or the edge of a large body of water, those are easy checkpoints to use as a way to check your route and pace count.

You can use any map feature that is readily identifiable along the way. This is the reassurance that you really do know where you are. This will aid you in finding your Attack Point.

Attack Points – Finding a good attack point before your actual point is essential.

Someone in one Selection class got hung up on what constitutes an attack point. And the fact is, we all have used them countless times. An attack point is nothing more than an identifiable landmark to guide you to your target.

“When you come down Main St. you’ll pass a Dunkin’ Donuts on the right. Right after that take your second left and the house is the fourth on the right.” Sound familiar?

In this case, the Dunkin’ Donuts was the attack point – an unmistakable feature that tells you you’re getting close. Then, you know, that from there, it’s a very short distance to your destination. Sometimes if your attack point is a crossroad or along a linear spot like a road, we use deliberate offset, which means that you purposely aim to the right or left of a spot so that if you don’t hit the attack point exactly, you know, you must move either right or left correspondingly.

Draws and Thickets – As you encounter the draws and thickets of which there are a plentiful amount in Hoffman, you’ll no doubt see where others have tread before you and those well-worn paths are a good indicator that this is the best spot to cross a draw. So, if you must cross a draw in the “Dagobah System”, take advantage of some of the other candidates’ trailblazing and save yourself some time.

In SFAS an instructor will be present at each of your points but you’ll no doubt come across green engineer stakes with a dog tag on them. If you do, do yourself a favor and stop and check them out. These are put in by GPS for the SFQC and are an eight-digit grid coordinate that are exactly where they say they are. There’s no better way to check your location.

Photo courtesy of DOD

SFAS Wasn’t All Serious, Some Funny Cadre Anecdotes

When we think about Special Forces Selection and Assessment (SFAS), nothing fun, funny or silly immediately comes to mind. You’ll hear about the horror stories of the ruck marches, the soft sand of nearly every Camp Mackall firebreak, the Star land navigation course and the various conveyances constructed during Team Week.

It is known more for “Embracing the Suck” than it is for the levity of it all. And yet, while a cadre member, certain things stood out that made it very difficult to keep a straight face. I was talking to an old friend not too long ago and we began to talk about some of the crazy stuff that went on out there and contrary to popular belief, the cadre at SFAS in fact, DO have a sense of humor…sometimes.

I have a few funny anecdotes from those days of yore that some of you may find amusing. And many of you will have your own in the future. If so, please share.

Fun With the Sand Man:

Ask anybody who has successfully finished SFAS and they’ll have their own horror stories of the “Sand Man” event during Team Week. The way it worked back then was that the candidate team would ruck to a location where they’d be given the task of evacuating two friendly pilot casualties to friendly lines.

The students would be given several large poles, lashings, and a hammock to be used as a litter. The two “pilots” were nothing more than Nomex flight suits that were filled with sandbags. The weight of each litter had to be well over 300 pounds. Plus, each of the candidates had to carry their rucksacks which had to weigh 45 pounds dry, which meant without food or water.

The candidates were instructed to treat the casualties as you would an actual casualty. That meant, if you were to set the litter down, it had to be eased down and not dropped.

While walking with one group, I was right next to the second litter that one team was carrying. One candidate, audibly said, “F**k this!” and dropped his corner of the litter. Of course, the snowball effect happened immediately. On the corner just in front of the candidate who dropped it, the pole slid off that candidate’s shoulders and slammed into his foot with the force of a sledgehammer.

Candidate #2 yelped in pain and after hopping around for a few seconds, was walking in small circles trying to not show that he was in agony. Of course as a cadre member, while the urge to call Candidate #1 a two-pronged word of which buddy is the first, we’re expected to maintain our composure. “Candidate, would you like to see the medic”, I asked? He shook his head no. “Would like time to take off your boot and treat your foot yourself?” Again he shook his head, obviously thinking that if he took his boot off, it might never get back on. Like we were supposed to, my next question was also by the book, “Do you feel you can continue to train, candidate?” (Our major would have been proud), And he nodded without saying anything. I instructed the team leader to give the team a break in the shade off the dirt road, while I arranged a pickup for Candidate #1 who was done. He quit.

The white pickup arrived with one of our medics, Candidate #1 was unceremoniously put in the back and forgotten. Our medic talked to Candidate #2 who already had a drop or two of blood seeping from his boot. “See me when you get back tonight, candidate,” he said. Again, with a nod. “Yes sergeant,” was all he said. A few moments later the team picked up and moved out. The student team leader had two guys who weren’t under a “Sandman” and they gave Candidate #2 a break first and allowed him to try to get his feet back under him.

I slid up next to him and after a few moments, I asked him if he was good to go. He nodded yes again, and finally said, “I was afraid if I opened my mouth a few minutes ago, the only thing that would’ve come out was me squealing like a little bitch.” And then he looked at me in horror as if he said something wrong. I tried unsuccessfully to stifle a smile and just shook my head.

Another class with the Sandman stumbled in the Camp Mackall soft sand and they lost their litter. One candidate had the pole whack the hell out of the back of his head. He was out on his feet, but rather than go down and get his bearings, he tried to remain upright and teetered-tottered every which way. He began to stumble toward the second team.

Afraid of another group going down, I tried to lurch forward and grab ahold of him, but his teetering took on a life of its own and we looked like two drunken sailors trying to hold on to a telephone pole. One of the candidates, speaking to his classmate said, “Do you two dance together all the time.” That time everyone laughed…including me.

A few moments later, and we back on the trail, none the worse for wear. And those candidates all were later selected by the way, other than the first one.

Radio GaGa…:

All of our cadre members had radios that were to be on and monitored at all times. Some guys like my old roommate and best bud Dave O. never could be bothered. Our head shed would occasionally radio us for updates and want to know where certain teams were, for what? I don’t know, just to stay informed I would venture. But the other cadre members would keep each other abreast of what was going on and certain NCOs were hilarious in their descriptions of what was going on. None better than Steve S. who was a 5th SFG guy before coming to SWC and the schoolhouse.

So one day, our Major is contacting all the teams to check in and everyone did except Dave O’s group. A few minutes later, our two teams passed each other on the road and I relayed to him that they were looking for him to check in. In typical Dave fashion, he shrugged and said, “he’ll get over it.” So, just about two minutes later, the Major is calling him again…no answer. And I had a brilliant idea. I could imitate my bud’s Cuban-American New York City accent easily and I could get him off the hook.

So I responded on the radio for him and relayed his position. Then the commander commenced chewing my/Dave’s ass for not monitoring the frequency during the day as he ordered… So, I answered as I “knew” my bud would, “No worries…I’m on it,” I said. The commander Major V. asked what in the hell he was doing anyway… In my perfect accent, I answered, “Hey I’m just working here.”

Of course, all the other NCOs knew it wasn’t Dave but me on the radio and the chatter started. No one dimed me out, but everyone was calling in with their own take on how they too were “just working out here.” Major V. was pissed.

So, when we got back, the major and the sergeant major commence to chew Dave out for being a smartass on the radio. Of course, it took them all of about a minute to realize that he didn’t have a clue of what they were talking about. As soon as my group re-entered Camp Mackall, I was called for and got a major ass-chewing and a counseling statement, for “improper and unnecessary radio chatter.” As much as I proclaimed total ignorance of what transpired and gave my best and most sincere innocent look, they didn’t buy it. Dave did monitor his radio for about a day and then went happily back to ignoring it again…

What Are You Doing, Checking His Feet For!”

As I’ve written here in the past, we had one class where the candidates got rained and snowed on for nearly the entire Selection schedule. It was February, and it started as snow but then it was just warm enough for the remainder of the class for it to fall as rain.

The soft sand of Mackall was turned into a muddy quagmire. Standing water was everywhere. The candidates’ feet were wet constantly and they took a beating. By the time that class finished they were walking like a collective group of very old men. It was also the lowest selection rate we had of any class I worked.

So, in the next class, the commander stressed that the medics had to keep a close eye on the candidates’ feet and harp on them that they needed to stress their own foot care so that we didn’t have another fiasco like the February class.

So the next class comes in and we are going thru the normal first week’s gates that the candidates must accomplish. We walked them thru the obstacle course, “Nasty Nick” in the morning just prior to lunch. After lunch, we would have them conduct if for time. There was an SFAS cadre member placed at each obstacle to ensure that the candidates conducted it correctly or marking down their roster numbers if they failed. When the final candidate went thru each obstacle, the cadre would follow behind and we’d roll up at the final obstacle which was the cargo net.

Everything went very smooth, despite having a very large class. We were rolling up on the cargo net as the final two candidates hit the bottom of the net. The cadre gathered on the other side and we waited for them to get down the other side before moving back into the compound. The first candidate maneuvered easily over the top. As the second reached the top, we could see his head and shoulders as he reached over to grab a handhold. Collectively, we all turned to begin walking back into the compound.

Then everything went south. We all heard the candidate say, “SHHHHHHHIIIIITTTT!” as his hand slipped on the net and he tumbled the entire way from the top of the net, some 30-35 feet to the ground. He landed with a thump awkwardly on his upper back and shoulders in the mulch below and bounced a good foot off the ground.

Two medics, the aforementioned Dave O. and another guy rushed over, as this could be a very serious injury. The candidate was stunned and barely moving, having taken a bad fall. Dave was stabilizing his head and neck and telling the candidate to lie still. The other medic began to remove the candidate’s boots.

“What the hell are doing?” Dave asked our other medic whose name escapes me. “I’m checking his feet,” came the laconic reply. “WTF are you checking his feet for, this MFer probably just broke his fucking neck and you’re worried about a blister?” my buddy snapped in his own special kind of way. “Well, the major said…” he began, but Dave cut him off.

“Hey, this schmuck will probably be paralyzed but shit, he don’t got no blisters! Get outta here, I got this.” In case you wondered, Dave’s bedside manner wasn’t the greatest, but as a medic, there were none better. The rest of cadre moved off and had a laugh at this latest insanity that was SFAS. After a few moments of recuperation, the candidate was able to continue with the course albeit with a very sore neck and shoulder region.

CID visits the Cadre Office… Run Away….”

There is never a dull moment in SF. One morning at our building back on Ft. Bragg, we had a large, the largest at that time SFAS class we had up to that point in-processing to begin the course. About 15 of the cadre members were crowded in the front office as we had about 30 mins before we had a formation for the candidates.

As we were talking an unmarked Army CID sedan pulled up in front of the building and two plainclothes MPs got out. You could always spot those guys from a mile away. Driving a white Chrysler K car with military tags, the cops dressing in highly flammable polyester with ties out of the 1960s…you get the idea.

The effect of CID was immediate…everybody began scurrying out of the room, and Steve S. put it perfectly, “I’m not afraid of the cops, but…Run awwwwaaaayyy,” in a Monty Python voice.

The cops entered the office and I was the only cadre member left. The bigger of the two cops spoke, “where’d everybody go?” he asked. “Who?” I said. “I just saw about 15 guys in here when we pulled up and now they’re all gone…are they hiding in the back office,” he asked? Little did he know.

Calling this guy the bigger of the two was the understatement of the year. This huge black dude looked like a football nose tackle. His neck (if you want to call it that) was as big as his head and his hands were the size of catcher’s mitts.

So, he asked if we had a student by the name of so-and-so. I checked off the roster and indeed we did. They asked to speak with him. The Sergeant Major came in and they brought this candidate in and used our Major’s office for a moment with the door closed.

Shortly after, the door opened and the smaller cop came out followed by our candidate who was in cuffs. The huge cop followed with a mitt-sized hand on his shoulder. “We’re taking him with us…he won’t be returning,” the big guy boomed. And as he was walking out, he turned and said, you can tell the other guys they can come out now.”

About a year later, while attending the Warrant Officer Candidate Course at Ft. Rucker, AL, who comes walking in the door. Couldn’t miss him, the biggest candidate they may have ever had at Rucker. His name was Steve Blue (RIP).

He was, in fact, an NFL player for a short time with the Giants as a nose tackle and one of the best guys you’d meet anywhere. He was as funny as he was huge and he became inseparable with the SF guys there.

One night I reminded him of the story and he relayed the rest of it. It seems our candidate was stationed in Korea with the 2nd I.D. He married a Korean girl, got her a dependent I.D. card and such until he was transferred back to the U.S. At Ft. Ord, he married a local girl and got her an I.D. too. You can see where this is going. At Ft. Riley, the genius did it a third time. Alarm bells were ringing in the bean counting world.

So, our erstwhile candidate volunteers for SFAS. CID was alerted and they sent a couple of guys (Blue and his partner) to interview him. I asked Blue, “Did he admit to it?” He replied, “yep in about two seconds.” Steve Blue asked him what was he thinking….the guy responded, “I really did like all of them and didn’t want to lose any of them.” So, naturally, the next question was, “why did you volunteer for SF?” The guy thought he’d be able to hide overseas until the heat blew over. Blue asked the guy, “but wouldn’t you have gotten into more trouble overseas?”

The response, Well, I did hear those Colombian girls make great wives.” Indeed.

Photo: US Army

Land Navigation Tips: Do’s and Don’ts For Passing Selection

We’ve been going hard at Land Navigation for the past week or so with a refresher 101-type, of course, to get everyone on the same level playing field. We started we a basic map reading piece and moved on to the necessary basic skills every candidate should be familiar with before arriving.

The key to getting selected in one of the Special Operations Forces’ courses is to be properly prepared and keep a cool head during times of stress. It is certainly so with Land Navigation. Many of the students who fail to pass the Land Nav test did so because they didn’t prepare properly or didn’t think things thru. Occasionally both.

Like most of the challenges you’ll find in Selection, they are more mental than physical despite what you’ll hear from candidates who have gone thru the course.

So as a final primer for our Land Navigation refresher, we’ll put out some final reminders to all the candidates as a not-so-gentle reminder of what to do and just as importantly NOT to do on the navigation course. Some of these you’ve already heard in our earlier posts (foot stomp), they’re important which is why we’ll repeat them again and again.

So, here are our tips for getting a go at Land Navigation in Selection:

Soak up everything that the cadre put out in classes and briefings. They are out there all the time and know the area like the back of their hand. They won’t be trying to make it easy on you, but they won’t tell you anything to lead you astray either. And, (believe it or not, I’ve heard this one before), they will never try to tell you anything to make you fail. The cadre out there are professionals. They want people to pass. The right people,… good people.
Take advantage of all the Land Nav practice sessions out there. Some candidates are afraid of burning themselves out during the practice navigation sessions, that they purposely underachieve to “save it” for the test. Big mistake. Use every second of every practice to learn as much as you can about the course. Because you’ll run the same area for the test. Not the same lanes but you’ll be running on the same map sheet area. If you go to sleep during a practice night navigation. You’re going to get caught and you’ll be a very unhappy camper after the cadre find you.
Find the motivated candidates from the class and talk AFTER the day’s events are over. Don’t get caught talking during practice or the exam because you’ll get bounced. But discuss what you found, and share your experiences and any helpful tips where you can disseminate any possible trouble areas as well. That is allowable and encouraged, as long as it is after the event is over for the day.
Red lens flashlights only. Remember, you’re always being evaluated and the cadre WILL be out there and if you violate any of the rules, they WILL catch you
When you find yourself in one of those rare moments of non-restrictive terrain where the walking is easier, take advantage of it! Use your compass, pick out a spot as far in the distance as you can and move out quickly.
Avoid crossing the draws if you can, especially at night. But if you must cross one using a combination of speed and care. Check your compass every 20-25 paces as it is easy to get turned around in those things. Don’t just blunder thru it like a bull in a china shop. Remember, there have been a ton of students out there if you see a well-worn path that cuts across a draw, it probably means that the students before you have found the path of least resistance across the draw and I’d take advantage of that. Sometimes taking an extra minute or two to properly recon the area will save you tenfold or more the time.
During Selection, an SFAS cadre member will be at the points to check you in and give you the next point on the course, but occasionally you’ll come upon those green Engineer stakes with a tag on them. They’re land navigation points for the SFQC. Take the time, stop, and use the eight-digit grid on them to help you pinpoint your location. That is just like having a built-in GPS on the course. Those are placed in exactly where they’re supposed to be and they’re a great tool to use. Especially if you’re getting close to your point, if you come across one within 200-300m from your point, you now have a perfect attack point.
As we mentioned, use a page from your notebook or an index card to make notes on without writing too much on your map sheet. Make any notations afterward just in case you return on a later date.
Embrace the darkness and night navigation. The majority of your work will be at night, don’t let it get to you and become a master at moving at night.
Trust your map, pace count, and your azimuth as you move out on the course. And never let doubt creep into your mind. Your map and compass aren’t going to lie to you on the course.
Your training and keeping a cool head will get you thru this. Thousands of SOF guys before you have done this and you can too. You will get tired and beat up on the course. That is what it was designed to do. Rise above it and keep driving on.
Don’t forget to use handrails and corridors such as roads and such while moving out. Just don’t get too close to them. If you hit one, then you know you’ve veered too far and need to backtrack.
Plan multiple checkpoints en route to your points. The more the better to validate your location at all times.

And finally, here are some of the names of places on the map, some are named, some given their names from the cadre or candidates. You will know all of these by the time you’re done out there.

Five Points

Puppy Palace

Lake Baggett

Bones Fork Creek

3 Wire Road

Jurassic Park

Scuba Road

Dagobah (The north area…brilliant.)

One last thing, ensure everything is tied down and before you leave any stop, point or checkpoint, that you double check that you have all of your kit and equipment. Don’t ever quit and avoid “Ned the Navigator”, every class has one.

Good luck…and hopefully the day after Land Navigation is done, you’ll be standing in formation with your entire class intact. DOL

Photo: DOD

Night Land Navigation During Selection: “Hello Darkness My Old Friend”

Land Navigation in Selection is a very big obstacle to overcome. To help prepare the candidates for our Special Operations Forces we’ve gotten back to the basics and gone over the various skills that start at square one and gone from there. Now that we’re all on the same sheet of music, so to speak, it is time to take on everything you’ve learned and put it to the test. And the best, most difficult test will be navigating during the hours of darkness.

Some of the questions and/or comments we’ve gotten have to do with night land navigation. And navigating at night is by far the most difficult aspect of navigation. Be prepared to be tested to the max during the night as everything intensifies. Your range of vision will be extremely limited so you’ll have to rely on everything you’ve learned up to this point.

So, we’ll touch on a few highlighted skills that we’ve gone over previously that each candidate will have to know to get over the hump in night navigation. Much of what I’ll mention here has to do with the course in Hoffman, NC at SFAS but the location is secondary. These tips are geared for any Land Navigation course that you’ll attend.

As we’ve said here many, many times, this isn’t something that is impossible to pass. Thousands of Special Operations troops before you have done so and many more thousands will pass after you. Speaking from experience, I passed the Star Course as a candidate and had to do it again before working as a cadre member at SFAS and went thru a class with the candidates as a fully qualified Special Forces soldier. And occasionally between classes, our cadre would reevaluate some of the different lanes that students would run and during the course and conduct the courses again.

So, with that in mind, here are some night navigation tips, many of which are just as apt for the day navigation course.

Route Planning: We wrote a piece about doing proper route planning while navigating. Route planning during selection is probably more important at night as opposed to during the daylight as many of the terrain features are much more difficult to identify. Trying to use dead reckoning for 5-6 clicks in the dark is not a preferred method.

So plan a series of shorter legs and movements and set checkpoints along the way. It is a much easier way to tackle the course and your movement between points. This way, you can check your progress, pace count as well as constantly confirming your location along the way.

Set your checkpoints and handrails on large or linear terrain features such as ridgelines or streams that you can terrain associate with and move out quickly while using your pace count. Use dead reckoning once you get to your attack point. That way if you get turned around, you have a known point you can go back to try it again.

Plot your points using the smallest possible mark on your map sheet and then write down any and all pertinent information on either a small index card or tear a sheet off your notebook and place this inside the map case for quick reference.

Pace Count: We covered our pace counts in an earlier piece as well. Knowing your pace is very important, and even more so in the dark, since terrain association is generally much harder in the dark. How different is your pace count with all of your kit, to include your rucksack on? As we said earlier, your pace count will vary between day and night and it will increase as you tire. And depending on the type of terrain that you are operating in.

In time, you’ll become a seasoned pro at this and will know just by the conditions that you are dealing with what your pace count will be. And it will change over time. My pace with just web gear on flat terrain was 62 back in the days of Phase 1 at Camp Mackall.

But with a rucksack and a heavy load, it went up to 73. But I noticed after I had been in Special Forces for a few years, where rucking becomes like second nature, my pace counted lessened to between 68-69 depending on conditions. You’ll find that you will have similar results.

Keep a good pace count and using those checkpoints along your route, you’ll have immediate feedback on how accurate your pace is. Occasionally, you will lose track of your pace count. It happens. We’ve all done it. Don’t sweat it. If it happens to you, take a good guess at how far you’ve gone and try to keep an accurate pace from there forward.

Secure Your Gear: I know, this sounds ridiculous, but better a red face than a dead face right? Lose your map, protractor, compass or heaven forbid, your weapon and you’ll quickly find yourself on the truck ride from hell.

But remove all chance of this unfortunate (and very common) occurrence from happening to you. Every class that I was a cadre member of in SFAS had at least one candidate losing either a map, protractor or a compass. We had a saying that the draws in Hoffman feed off of land navigation students gear. And I doubt seriously that much has changed there.

Get a good smaller map case, preferably one with a lanyard and tie it or snap link it to your gear and then stuff it into your shirt, where it is easily accessible. You don’t need one of those huge map cases that the mech guys used to be so fond of inside of their vehicles. Fold up your map so that the terrain you’re walking in is the only part showing. It makes it much easier to find where you are.

So, this would seem like an apt place for a FOG anecdote, you know what FOG stands for …right? One morning, we were revalidating some of the land nav lanes in SFAS between classes. Down in the Bones Fork Creek area (you’ll get intimately familiar with), I came to the edge of a perfectly oval depression about 20-25 meters across. And it was only 100-200 meters from the point we were looking for. The bottom of the depression had very little vegetation and the sides were only 2-3 feet high so crossing it seemed like a snap.

Once inside, I stopped for a second and thought to double check my map sheet to see if it was marked on the map (it wasn’t) and to make a note of it for future reference. I pulled out my map case to take a look. At that moment, at my feet, I noticed 5-6 snakes (the poisonous variety) were almost underfoot.

“Jesus H. F***ing Christ!” I leaped over the assorted no shouldered reptilians that would have made an Olympic broad jumper proud. At that point, I cleared the depression faster than Lance Armstrong on all of his PEDs ever dreamed of going,…downhill on a 30-degree slope on his bicycle at the Tour de France.

I didn’t slow down for a good 50 meters and had my map case, compass and whatever else hadn’t been tied down, they’d have been gone. I got to the point in short order and my bud Doug P. was already there. “I heard you yell, you fall down”, he asked? When I relayed the story, he laughed. “I love my f***ing job! Best one I’ve ever had,” he said.

Tie your shit down…you’ll thank me later.

Move Quickly: One of the things that you’ll have to get good at and quickly is being able to move out in the darkness and cover some ground. Special Operations Forces own the night and the only way to get really good at it is to practice. And you’ll get plenty of it during practice night land navigation.

And the most useful feature of your compass at night is the bezel ring. If you’re following a basic azimuth, rotate your bezel ring so that your North seeking arrow aligns with the luminous bubble. So, say if you are traveling on an azimuth of 65 degrees, your North seeking arrow will be in the approximate 10 o’clock position, rotate the bezel ring so the bubble aligns with the North seeking arrow and it is a quick way to keep on your azimuth, especially in the dark.

Also, remember that each click in the bezel ring is three degrees. Keeping your compass at waist level now will allow you to move out quicker. Once the luminous dot and the North seeking arrow are aligned you are moving in the right direction.

If the terrain and conditions allow it, then shoot a point in the distance and move to it. But as we said above, you don’t want to be doing dead reckoning for long distances in the dark. Once you get better at it, terrain association is faster, easier and will allow you to find your way without getting lost. Your pace count then becomes just another way to check your progress and reference where you are on your map checks.

Just a few reminders, your visual range estimation is likely to be well off during the darkness. And your pace count, depending on the terrain is likely to vary a bit. And finally, your natural drift will likely be intensified in the dark, you’ll quickly find this out as you find yourself on the course. Natural drift is the way people walk. While you may believe you’re walking a straight line, most people, over time will drift either left or right. One way to combat this and I’ve heard this works for many navigators is to change hands holding your compass frequently.

Working and operating in the dark is a Special Operations specialty. It will come in time. And of course you’ll have NVGs then but not in Selection. Don’t let anything get in the way of your preparation and planning. Give it your all and you’ll pass.

Photo: DOD

Finding Your Location by Resection, Land Nav 101

Our previous articles in the last week or so have centered upon getting back to the basics of land navigation. It is imperative that all of these skills and they are the basics of finding your way in the field, become second nature to all of the candidates who aspire to be in the Special Operations community.

The Land Navigation course for SFAS also known as the Star Course in Hoffman, NC outside of Camp Mackall is the toughest individual land navigation course you will find in the U.S. military. You’ll be traveling several kilometers between points and the terrain is filled with thickets, swamps and low-level terrain where a hilltop on the map may look more like an anthill on the ground.

That’s why it is imperative for all of the candidates to learn the basics of land navigation to the point where you could teach a class on any of it, keep a cool head and prepare. As we’ve said here many times, land navigation requires as much prep and practice as any other perishable skill.

But also remember, that you’ll be only asked to pass the same course that thousands of other candidates have passed before you. Although difficult, it is far from impossible. Don’t let the countless stories, usually perpetuated by those who failed the course, fill your heads with needless worry. Ignore the noise. Especially from those who didn’t get selected. Prepare to succeed, and you will.

So, today we’ll tackle a common issue for many candidates that find themselves on the land navigation course. This is the way of finding your exact location if you are unsure of your exact map placement.

The military definition of Resection for finding your exact location on a map by determining the grid azimuth to at two or more well-defined locations that can be pinpointed on the map. For greater accuracy, the desired method of resection would be to use three or more well-defined locations.

In layman’s terms, if you aren’t sure exactly where you are at and need to pinpoint your location and can see two or more distant points that are recognizable on your map sheet, you can shoot an azimuth to them and determine the back azimuth from those points to pinpoint your location.

For the purposes of doing it correctly you’ll need at least two known points but obviously, three or more is ideal. There are three methods of using resection, using the map and compass method, the straightedge method and the modified method. In a perfect world, the map and compass method is the way to go. But in reality, you’ll often in the real world use the modified Resection method, as often times, you may not have the luxury of having multiple points visible.

Map and Compass Method

Orient the map using your compass and terrain association
Identify two or three known distant locations on the ground and mark them on the map accordingly.
Measure the magnetic azimuth to the first of the known positions from your location using a compass.
Convert the magnetic azimuth to a grid azimuth using the declination diagram.
Convert the grid azimuth to a back azimuth. If the magnetic azimuth is less than 180 degrees add 180. If the azimuth is more than 180 degrees subtract 180.
Using a protractor, draw a line for the back azimuth on the map from the known position back toward your unknown position.
Repeat the same steps for a second position and a third position, if practical.

Where all of the lines intersect on your map is your location. Next, using your protractor, determine the grid coordinates to the desired accuracy, an eight-digit grid being the preferred accuracy for our purposes. You’ve found your location. Easy, peasy…right?

Straightedge Method:

This method is a little bit differently but can still accurately find your position. To do so the successful navigator must follow these steps:

Orient his map using his compass and/or terrain association
Locate at least two known distant locations or prominent features on the ground and mark them on the map accordingly.
Lay a straightedge on the map, in this case using the edge of the compass and a known position as a pivot point.
Rotate the straightedge until the known position on the map is aligned with the known position on the ground.
Draw a line along the straightedge away from the known position on the ground toward your position.
Repeat the same process using a second known position that you can see from your location.

This one sounds more difficult than what it truly is. However, where the intersection of the lines meet on the map is your location. Determine the grid coordinates to the desired accuracy. You then should be able to get an eight-digit grid coordinate and find your way to your point.

Modified Resection Method:

The modified method is the least preferred and the least accurate method but is useful in certain situations. If you’re not certain of your exact location but are located on a linear terrain feature such as a road, creek or along a similar body of water, this can pinpoint your position.

Orient the map using a compass and/or by terrain association.
Locate a point in the distance that can be easily identified on the ground and on the map.
Determine the magnetic azimuth from your location to the distant known point.
Convert the magnetic azimuth to a grid azimuth.
Convert the grid azimuth to a back azimuth, using the add or subtract 180 accordingly depending on the degrees.
Using a protractor, draw a line for the back azimuth on the map from the known position back toward your unknown position.

Your location is where the line on the map crosses the linear feature. Determine the grid coordinates to the desired accuracy, for our purposes an eight-digit grid coordinate. In a practical application, if you have to cross a thick draw or swampy area and are closing in on your point but aren’t sure of where you are after negotiating the thicket, do the steps outlined above. After identifying a far point, this will closely put you to where you are and then you can finalize your attack point and find your way.

You’ll find this little exercise a very helpful method anytime you are navigating your way in the field and aren’t entirely sure of where you are. Remember, any of these exercises that you aren’t entirely sure of conducting properly can be done with any map, compass, and protractor. Practice makes perfect. Slow is smooth and smooth is fast.

Photos courtesy of Army Study Guide, author, DOD

Planning and Plotting Your Route During Land Navigation in Selection

This week, we’ve hit on a variety of subjects in regards to the basics of Land Navigation, what we call the 101 level of topics. It is the absolute best place to start. Practice the basics and become so well versed in it until you can teach the class in them. It is always preferable to start at square 1 and work up.

And, it is good practice for even those much more experienced troops when getting ready for Selection into Special Operations Forces to brush up on the basics. Considering that Land Navigation is one of the biggest obstacles to candidate’s paths to selection, it is never a bad idea to be supremely prepared.

In previous pieces this week, we took a look at basic Map reading, setting your pace count, orienting the map and plotting your starting location. Now we’ll get into the plotting and planning of your route. While it sounds very easy on paper, having a proper route planned is much more detailed than just drawing a straight line.

Plotting Your Target Point: In our post from yesterday, we’ve plotted and then double-checked our location so that you know exactly where you are starting from. Now you plot your first point in the exact same way.

Read to the right and up and using the 1/50,000 map scale, carefully plot your eight-digit grid coordinate to the point that you are navigating to. Remember, four-digit grids get you to within 1000 meters, six-digit grids to within 100 meters and an eight-digit grid gets us to within 10 meters. Now, double check your plot and ensure you’ve got it right. Are you certain to your plot? Good, that is the first step.

Now measure the distance between the two points. Remember this is straight line distance and not walking distance. Your actual traveling distance will vary quite a bit from Point A to Point B depending upon your route selection and the terrain that you’ll encounter along the way

Planning the Route: There are two basic ways you can get to where you’re going. Either will get you to where you’re going but for your purposes in Selection, one may prove to be a much better option. Don’t worry about what the other guys are doing. This is an individual evaluation and you are in this part alone.

Dead Reckoning – Dead Reckoning is a system that is done in two steps. The first is getting an azimuth from your starting point using your map and protractor and determine the distance to where your point is located at. The next step is to convert the grid azimuth to a magnetic one using the declination diagram and use your compass and your pace count and apply what you’ve already learned and walked to your point by staying as close as you can to your azimuth.

This system is best used on shorter distances such as a compass course and not for distances covering many clicks (kilometers).

Your position can be checked from time to time using both resection or intersection when there are terrain features available. Dead Reckoning has some advantages; it is easy to teach the neophyte navigator and in open terrain, especially in grassy areas or desert type regions, it is easier to stay on the azimuth. It works well in a desert type of environment where the navigator can pick out a landmark or terrain feature far in the distance and the navigator can easily negotiate around small obstacles.

The Dead Reckoning system is at a distinct disadvantage when you’re facing the terrain that is covered with thick vegetation, intermittent streams, draws, and swampy areas. The Star Course in Hoffman that SFAS candidates use make Dead Reckoning a dicey proposition. However, it can and does work. I know several SF guys who plowed thru the Land Navigation course using this exact method. I wouldn’t recommend this but it can be done at times and will work. But perhaps the second method is the better way to go.

Terrain Association – Terrain Association Is more difficult to plan but is much less forgiving of mistakes and generally a lot less time consuming than Dead Reckoning. It requires a more detailed map study of where you’re going and how you plan to get there but the time spent planning your movement is better served than trying to plow your way thru the thickets and swampy areas.

The advantages of terrain association are obvious. If you veer off course in Dead Reckoning, you are in trouble. Because you could have drifted left or right. But using terrain association, your position is easily checked and adjustments made on the fly. Especially where terrain features are more prominent.

Selection and identification of terrain features is key here. Plan your route using handrails as a guide and ensure to plot checkpoints along the way. Someone emailed me and asked me, “wouldn’t that add distance to what you’ll be walking?” and the answer is yes. However, while you may be walking farther, you’ll be moving much more economical once you see how thick some of those swamps and thickets are.

Ensure your map is oriented and use the available terrain as a guide. You won’t be following a specific azimuth per se, but more of a cardinal direction to your checkpoints using your map to guide you. If you’re operating in an area with distinct rolling hills and ridgelines, this kind of navigation is a snap.

You can use the roads both the improved and the unimproved as a guide but the best advice is don’t be a roadrunner. The cadre will catch you and that won’t bode well for you. You are allowed to parallel the roads but not too closely. Make sure that you plot a backstop on your route that you can identify as having gone too far.

A word of caution about the roads on military bases especially in Hoffman. There a lot of them out there, and most are not on the map. While there are exceptions…You’ll become familiar with “Five Points” but for the most part, those are at times difficult to judge. Just be careful.

In almost every case, most especially in SFAS that once you come upon a paved road. Stop. In SFAS you will never be crossing any of those. Let me repeat that… you will never cross a hard, paved road in the course. While a few of the points may be near them, you’ll never cross over a paved road to get to them but you can use those as a handrail at times.

As I type this, I’m already smiling because in your class, as certain as I am about the hair on my head, someone in your class will cross the road. It happens in every class and despite the cadre making it a point not to do it, someone will. Bet on it. Don’t be “Ned the Navigator.”

Plot checkpoints along the way to ensure that you are on track and on target. Any mapped feature you can readily identify along the way is a checkpoint that you are where you think you are..Choose an attack point that will put you no farther than 200-300 meters from your point. What is an attack point? An attack point is a point no more than 200-300 meters from your target that you can use as a base to try to find the point.

As you encounter ways around the draws and thickets, you’ll no doubt see where others have tread before you and those well-worn paths are a good indicator that this is the best spot to cross a draw…if you have to.

Once you identify your attack point, use dead reckoning and plot an azimuth to your point. Once you get to where you believe you are at the point is, if you are not seeing it, stop and make small circles of about 25 meters to find it. If that doesn’t work, go out another 25 meters until finding it. In SFAS, the points will be easier to find, once you get close as a cadre member will be there and if it is at night will probably have a small fire going.

These short articles on revisiting the basics are good practice. And that is exactly what you should be doing. If you live on a military base, they may have a land navigation course set out that you may get to practice on. If not, check out the civilian orienteering clubs in your area.

In our next land nav, piece, we’ll touch on some of the other skills you may need to brush up on. Until then, if you have any questions, feel free to email me [email protected] or Tweet them to me (@SteveB7SFG) and I’ll be happy to answer them. Either privately or in a post such as this (without naming names).

Photo courtesy of DOD

Passing Selection, Land Navigation and Map Reading Basics

As we stated in a post last week, we’ll be going over some of the basics in the upcoming days as the newest Selection courses get underway. We get a lot of questions regarding SFAS and especially the Land Navigation Course out in the Hoffman Area, what they call the “Star Course” in the SFQC.

First things first, yes, the Land Navigation course is not easy, and many students fail at either SFAS or the SFQC because they failed it. The course is tough, it is the toughest individual land navigation course you’ll find in the US military.

But the course is far from impossible, thousands of Special Forces soldiers have passed it before you and thousands more will continue to do so and get a first time go. That’s the magic word everyone wants to hear. It just takes some hard work, patience, and the ability to keep a cool head once you experience the draws and lack of terrain features in lovely Hoffman, NC.

But before we get into the tips and some experiences that many of us have come across, the first thing a candidate MUST do is to come to SFAS prepared. I know, I know, “how many times have we heard that?” But it’s true.

This is another area where the better prepared you are the odds of you passing the Land Navigation course increase tenfold. It begins with Map Reading; become an expert in this necessary skill before you show up at Ft. Bragg. There are plenty of manuals, study guides, and civilian orienteering clubs out there that will get you to where reading a map is a snap and a second nature to you.

I hear from many candidates all the time and many, especially the younger guys who are entering the 18X program or younger soldiers don’t have a background in map reading and navigation. I encourage all of those who this pertains to, check into any orienteering clubs in your area. They will vary, of course, but the vast majority will give the neophyte navigator a great deal of practical experience and many of the folks in those clubs can give some great tips on navigation.

This was always my block of instruction at Camp Mackall during my brief time at Selection and at that time is wasn’t overly detailed. It was more of a refresher for skills you were already supposed to know. Those who came from Light Infantry or Ranger Bn. backgrounds were already well-versed in it and if you have any of those type guys in your unit before selection, seek them out and have them help you.

When it comes to map reading, you should know it to the point that you could teach a class on it, before you arrive at SFAS because all of those skills will be tested. Some of (but not all) of the skills you should be intimately familiar with include:

Contour Lines– what are they, the 3 types and how they appear on the different terrain features. Also, know how to find and identify the contour interval.
Terrain Features– How many are there and be able to identify each
Declination diagram– Be able to identify it on the map and know how it works.
Back azimuth– Identify what it is and be able to calculate it
Orienting a Map– How many methods are there to do it and be able to do it using each way
Intersection– What is it used for and how is it determined
Resection– What is it used for and be able to do it easily
Dead Reckoning– What is it and know the steps that entail it (hint…many candidates use this exclusively, but it isn’t the preferred method)
Field Expedient Direction– How many ways are there and be able to perform each one
Azimuth– What is it and what are the two ways it can be measured
8-digit Grid Coordinate– How close will that take you to a point on the ground
6-digit Grid Coordinate– How close will that take you to a point on the ground
Colors on the Map– How many are there and what do they denote
Mils to degrees– How many mils equal one degree?
Circle– How many mils? How many degrees?

These are just some of the skills you need. If you look at these above-listed skills and if you aren’t a whiz at every one (these are just the basics) then you aren’t ready for SFAS and the Star course in Hoffman. So as a word to the wise…take the time and prepare as best that you can.

So, you prepared ahead of time and are a map reading whiz now and can whip out a map and be ready to plot where you are and more importantly, where are you going to. You’re going to need a couple of items that seem trivial but are extremely important. A caveat here, these are just suggestions. They aren’t coming from the mountain so to speak. But I’ve found these worked well.

Invest a nice map case, one that will keep your maps dry and allow you to make some marks on the clear portion with a grease pencil to make any notes to help you along. And…I can’t stress this enough, secure your map case to your body. It sounds stupid and infantile, but far too many candidates fail land navigation because they lose their map in a draw and the Hoffman draws are legendary for stealing maps. I used to see candidates not securing their map cases to their body and use their cargo pockets to stuff their map case in.

My favorite map case had a built-in loop that I kept inside my shirt snapped to a D-ring on my shoulder. It was easily accessible and kept it away from those nasty thickets that would tear it away from my thigh pocket. But that is just a personal preference.

And since you aren’t tactical, be smart. Fold your map with the area that you are working in, right on top and easily found. Nothing wastes more time than fumbling with a map under a poncho with a red lens flashlight. Leave room on the side where you can make notations in grease pencil.

And while you’re at it, dummy cord your weapon to your body as well, ditto for all of your gear. Every class, some tired candidate will stop to do a map check and walk off with his weapon, oops. He’s doing the duffel bag drag to the truck heading back to Ft. Bragg.

Invest in those Ranger beads that allow you to keep your distance locked down. Or you can tie one on your own using 550 parachute cord. The cadre were always pretty liberal with the amount of 550-cord they allowed candidates to have. Bring it. Those little things come in handy and when you get tired, it is easy to forget the distance traveled.

In a future post, we’ll get into some of finer points of Land Navigation and dive into some of the topics that seem to give guys trouble.

As always, if you have any questions, feel free to email me [email protected]

Photo courtesy of DOD

Getting Selected at SFAS: The Basics – Knowing Your Pace Count

With some new Selection courses starting in the cooler/colder weather, it is a good time to revisit some of the basics that the candidates will need to pass. The Big Three in regard to questions we get here which pertains to Selection concern themselves with physical training, rucking and Land Navigation. And we do get lots of questions about Land Navigation and specifically the Star Course out in Hoffman. We’ll address those in just a moment.

But before we get to that, there are certain tips, such as the Physical Training program which will help you attain the level of physical fitness that you’ll need to not just pass the course but to excel… in our humble opinion. We take it week by week and break it down into a daily workout that should have you in great shape to handle the rigors of the course. I don’t claim to know it all, far from it. But after a decade+ in Special Forces and time as a cadre member in Selection, does have its advantages.

So, I know that many of the candidates who are going to attend Selection have heard horror stories about the Land Navigation course and Hoffman. And, there is a lot of truth in parts of the “legend of the SF Land Nav Course.” Most of the students who fail at either SFAS or the SFQC have done so because they failed the land navigation course. There is no mistaking it. The course is tough, it is the toughest individual land navigation course you’ll find in the US military.

But I’m here to tell you it isn’t anything that thousands of Special Forces soldiers haven’t passed before you. It just requires you to be prepared, keep a cool head and know your basics. So, we’ll put the cart before the horse a bit here. We’ll touch on some map reading basics soon but let’s take a look at one of the most basic of skills in moving during navigation, and that is your pace count.

Pace Count: Knowing your pace is very important because there are going to be times, that you’ll need to know exactly how far you’ve traveled, even if you can read a map like a pro or in the case of Camp Mackall, where the terrain features are indistinct. And the terrain will dictate that in many cases.

First set up a 100-meter course on flat terrain. Walk it three times and every time your left foot hits the ground, count it. Take the total number of steps you’ve walked and divide by three. That is your baseline pace count. If you’re on a track or a football field, take a spool of 550 cord and mark out 100 meters. You’ll thank me later.

Now wait until dark and walk the flat course again, three times. Your pace count will probably increase in the dark, keep a notation in your notebook that should always be in your pocket. Mark down what your pace count is for daylight on flat terrain and your night pace count.

Now take your 550 cord out in the woods and try to find some rougher, hilly terrain. Lay out the 550 cord and walk the course again three times in the day and three times in the dark. Did your pace count increase with the difference in terrain? It should have.

Now put a rucksack on and repeat the steps in both the flat terrain and the rough hilly terrain, day and night. Your pace count should increase dramatically with a heavy rucksack on especially once you start hitting hills and thicker vegetation.

Remember, if you plan to use your Ranger beads every time you travel 100 meters. Slide the lowest bead to the bottom. Most of them come with nine beads. After you slide nine down, the next 100 meters brings you to a klick and you can push them all back up to the top. I recommend using them or making your own out of 550 cord, it is a valuable tool and comes in handy so that you don’t have to remember exactly how far you have to go and how far you’ve gone.

A couple of things to remember if the weather turns to shit, and it will, the rain, snow or sleet will cause you to take shorter steps and increase your pace count. Exhaustion will do the same thing. As you get tired during the course or during a field training exercise, your level of exhaustion will increase your pace count even if moving during daylight hours in open terrain.

But with a rucksack and a heavy load, it went up to 73. But I noticed after I had been in Group for a while and your rucksack becomes a part of your body, my pace counted lessened to between 68-69 depending on conditions. You’ll find that you will have similar results.

Another tip on pace counts. If you plot your point and you have 4 kilometers (klicks) between points, don’t try to keep a pace for the entire distance. Pick out a terrain feature or road intersection as an attack point. Use deliberate offset (More on that later) to find it. Keep your pace count to that attack point and make a notation with a grease pencil on your map case. If any of your fellow students or training partners have been in either the Ranger Regiment or an Airborne or Light Infantry unit, they’ll probably have some experience doing this.

It is a great way to check your pace and see how close you come out. By the time you finish SFAS and the SFQC, you’ll find you pace counts and distances are coming really close to the distances when you plot them on your maps.

Remember, keeping a pace count is just an added tool at your disposal. Knowing how to read a map and the surrounding terrain features is an easy way to quickly, and confidently find your way anywhere. And… as the old saying goes, if you can navigate in Camp Mackall, you’ll be able to navigate anywhere.

But failure to keep a pace count can really hurt you if become disoriented, especially in the dark. It is a valuable tool that every successful SFAS candidate should use while you’re out on the course.

So, when navigating, keeping an accurate pace count is not only a helpful aid but essential. Don’t be “Ned the Navigator” and wind up miles off the course because he wasn’t paying attention. That will get you a red face when the cadre has to search for you and usually ends up with the candidate doing the long walk to the trucks back to Ft. Bragg. The last thing you want to see is your rucksack in the hallway.

We’ll get to some more Land Navigation tips and some important Map Reading do’s and don’ts in some of our upcoming articles soon. Until then, if you have any questions, feel free to email me and I’ll be happy to answer them. Either privately or in a post such as this (without giving up names).

Keep Grinding, No Days Off… DOL

Photo courtesy of DOD